Prophet ﷺ Used to Fast Most of Sha‘ban

Fasting in Sha‘ban – A Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ

1. Prophet ﷺ Used to Fast Most of Sha‘ban

أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: "مَا رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَسْتَكْمِلُ صِيَامَ شَهْرٍ إِلَّا رَمَضَانَ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ فِي شَهْرٍ أَكْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِي شَعْبَانَ".

Translation: Aisha (رضي الله عنها) reported: "I never saw the Prophet ﷺ fasting for an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more in any month than in Sha‘ban."

📖 (Sahih al-Bukhari 1969, Sahih Muslim 1156)

2. Should We Fast the Whole of Sha‘ban?

The Prophet ﷺ did not fast the entire Sha‘ban, but he fasted most of it:

"He (the Prophet ﷺ) used to fast Sha‘ban almost completely, except for a little."

📖 (Sahih Muslim 1156)

⚠️ Exception: If someone has no habit of fasting and wants to start fasting just before Ramadan (e.g., in the last 2-3 days of Sha‘ban), the Prophet ﷺ discouraged it:

"Do not precede Ramadan by fasting a day or two before it, except for a person who habitually fasts on those days."

📖 (Sahih al-Bukhari 1914, Sahih Muslim 1082)

Key Takeaways:

• ✅ Fasting in Sha‘ban is a Sunnah and highly recommended.
• ✅ The Prophet ﷺ fasted most of Sha‘ban but not the whole month.
• ✅ It helps prepare for Ramadan spiritually and physically.
• ✅ Avoid fasting right before Ramadan unless it's a habitual fast.

May Allah allow us to follow the Sunnah and prepare well for Ramadan. Ameen! 🤲